Railway-crossing



(No Model.)

- F. ROBINSON.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

No. 351,403. Patented Oct. 26, 1886.

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FRANK ROBINSON, OF OLIMAX, MICHIGAN.

RAI LWAY-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,403, dated October26. 1886- Application filed April 14, 1886. Serial No. 198,847.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK ROBINSON, of the village of Climax, in thecounty of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, and a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Crossings, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, andwherein like letters and figures of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the main line of a railway with the ordinaryswitch and side track crossing diver ent thereform, at which point isclearly seen my new reciprocating substitute for the fixed frog usuallyemployed. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged view in cross-section of therail-section, turning-plate, and bedplate, and Fig. 3 shows the same incentral longitudinal section on the line .r a', Fig. 2, with the wholeresting 011 ordinary railwayties, t f 2f 25.

The object of my invention is to dispense with the destructive anddangerous fixed wedge-shaped frog hitherto used in connec tion with theswitch at diagonal or divergent crossings, and to provide, in lieuthereof, a continuous rail at this point, thus doing away entirely withthe pounding, destructive, and

dangerous difficulties and extreme hazard at-" tending the employment ofwedge-shaped and oblique openings at the rail ends. Other obviousadvantages accrue to the use of my improvement as will hereinafterappear.

A A, Fig. 1, represent the main line of a railway, and B B the divergentsiding, into which the cars are directed from the movable rail ends A A,or by means of the switchlever S. a

0 represents a rail-sectionsay seven feet, or any convenient lengthwhich'is removably secured to a centrally-pivoted vibratory platform ortable, D. (See Fig. 2.) This platform frog-plate or table D is providedwith a circular depression depending from its under side, which forms acentral pivot or point, on which the table D turns by means of acorresponding circular opening in the fixed plate E, immediatelybeneath, which latter plate is firmly fixed to the usual railway-ties,tt t t.

The fixed bed-plate E should be somewhat longer than the table D andrail 0, for the purpose of afiording a common support for the rail endsand for the lugs or stops Z N Z.

(No model.)

The vibratory rail 0 is removably fixed to the turn-table D by means ofsecuring-plates a a and bolts ffff. The plates at a, being secured tothe plate D by independent fastenings, as shown, permit of the readysliding of the removable rail C from its dovetail-shaped rest, Fig. 2.

A central circular plate, F, situated imme diately underneath plate Eand secured by the bolts and nuts I) b b b, firmly fixes the partstogether and to the turn-table and railwaybed.

A reach-rod, r, connects with a reciprocating lever, G, which isprovided with suitable arms and rods, r 0",whereby the table is turnedsimultaneously with the switching device or standard S, as shown inFig. 1. Hence it becomes evident that whenever the ends of the rails A Ashall be made to register with the siding B B the reciprocating tableand rail 0,

in obedience to the impulse operating both the switch and reciprocatingtable, the crossing at the point heretofore occupied by the frog isherein provided with a continuous rail throughout, as at other points ofthe track, and does away entirely with the wear and tear, difficulty,and damages heretofore found inseparable from the use of fixed frogs anddiagonal disconnected railway-rails.

Having thus fully described my invention and its practical advantagesand mode of op eration, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is-

1. The plates a a, forming undercut ways for the flanges of rail 0, andindependently fastened to plateD, to allow the section-rail O to beeasily detached, as set forth.

2. The plate D, having a central integral bottom, a fast plate, E,provided with a bearing for said pivot, and a bottom plate, F,overlapping plate E, in combination with the bolts b, carrying nuts attheir upper ends,

